Good morning, Baltimore! Here's what you need to know for your Friday before the Preakness:
WEATHER
Today, is Straw Hat Day, the day that marks the change from the wearing of winter felt and tweed hats to light summer straws. There will be plenty of sunshine today with some moments of patchy clouds. Temperatures will hit a high of 78, and will fall back to 62 overnight. There is a slight chance of rain and winds will be out of the south-southeast at 4 to 8 mph. The weather for tomorrow's Preakness -- "They're off!" – will take place under partly sunny skies. It will also be warm and humid.
FROM TODAY'S FRONT PAGE
Gov. Larry Hogan has decoded to take $68 million that lawmakers set aside for schools and use it to shore up the state's pension system --- disappointing school officials in Baltimore and other large districts around the state.
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Bob Gildersleeve, 45, of Elkridge, was the latest victim to be identified in the deadly wreck of Amtrak Train 188 that took place Tuesday at Frankford Junction, just north of Philadelphia.
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Prosecutors responded Thursday to the request by lawyers for the police officers accused in the death of Freddie Gray that State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby be removed from the proceedings, calling attorneys' arguments "illogical, unsupported, frivolous and unprecedented."
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Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank has embraced the Preakness. The Baltimore-based sports apparel and footwear brand have become closely entwined with the historic race.
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Former Gov. Martin O'Malley will announce a decision on a run for the Democratic nomination for president at an event scheduled for May 30.
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Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announced Thursday the Aim to B'More initiative that will help nonviolent drug offenders get back on track after felony convictions.
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Maurice Lamar Jeffers, a 12-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, is accused of stealing $3,000 after investigators set up a sting in a hotel room, federal prosecutors said in a complaint that was unsealed Thursday.